imagine herself standing by the side of her sugar daddy, elevated from sordid mistress to respected wife? Ryker was willing to bet hard cash that at some point in their relationship, Xiaohui had lain beside a thoroughly exhausted Danny Lin and whispered sweet nothings into his ear about how he must be crazy to stay with a wife who didn’t understand him, and failed to cater to his every bizarre sexual fantasy, like she did.
Which thought gave rise to recent memories of Valerie Lin, who didn’t look anything like Xiaohui, whose flawless beauty was undeniable. Yet the widow Lin had popped Ryker’s cork just by breathing. Would he feel differently about Xiaohui if he hadn’t met Danny Lin’s wife first? Somehow he doubted that. Some people were just incompatible with each other. He recognized the fact he was absolutely wrong for Xiaohui and she for him. Valerie Lin, on the other hand-
“We did meet,” Xiaohui said. “Just once.” She stared at the table top. “At a reception. For businessmen. From Beijing and Korea.” Her hesitant delivery made Ryker think she was recalling the memories only with difficulty. “Lin Dan’s father thought I was the wife of one of those present. But the wives would not speak to me. Lin Dan realized it was a mistake. Realized the risk he was taking. His father would be angry if he found out. He arranged for me to be taken by taxi to the hotel.”
“How long ago was this?”
“Perhaps a month ago. Longer. Six weeks.”
“Here in San Francisco?”
She frowned, puzzled. “No. Shanghai.”
Ryker sensed Chee Wei’s curiosity from across the room but didn’t look at him. “Aside from the businessmen, Miss Zhu, was anyone else there?”
“The senator,” Xiaohui said, as the door opened and Victor Chin entered carrying a leather briefcase. The Chinese lawyer looked from Ryker to Chee Wei, and was not happy.
Ryker stood and said, “Mr. Chin, we were just telling your client she’s no longer a suspect. We have no reason to hold her. I’m going to talk to the desk sergeant, get the paperwork pushed through.”
“And you are?”
“Detective Sergeant Hal Ryker.”
“Ah. We’re going to sue you for wrongful arrest, detective sergeant. Your unforgivable victimization has caused my client considerable distress.”
Ryker had been expecting something of the kind, and was a long way from shocked. “Make sure you invite the press along to the court hearing, Mr. Chin,” he said. “We’ll give them a good story. How Danny Lin flew a high- class hooker in from Shanghai whenever he felt horny. How they both got high as a kite on coke, and she fucked him senseless in a thousand-dollar-a-night hotel suite overlooking San Francisco Bay. How she stars in low budget porno flicks whenever she’s over here, just to earn herself some lipstick money.”
Xiaohui looked shocked; Chin didn’t bat an eyelid. He said, “I think we both know the consequences of such a story ever being released. A certain party would destroy your career.”
“Along with yours. Might be worth it, just to see the look on your face when they tear up your license and run you out of the state.”
“Are you really so insane, detective sergeant?”
“Only when I haven’t had enough coffee. This is one of those moments. Don’t push me, Chin. First and only warning.”
Chin stared at Ryker for a count of five, then his lips twisted into a humorless smile and he said, “I think we might be inclined to drop the lawsuit. Assuming my client is released forthwith and receives no further harassment from the police.”
Ryker shrugged a shoulder. “Sure. Back in a jiffy.” Chee Wei followed Ryker out into the hallway, and closed the door.
“Bad timing, huh? Wonder who this senator is?”
Ryker thought about it for all of two seconds. “Might not matter. Lin hobnobs with the rich and shameless, so hearing a politician’s in the mix doesn’t surprise me.” He jerked his thumb toward the interview room. “But wants access to the girl. What do you suppose he wants with her?”
“To ask her what she knows about Danny Lin’s murder. What else?”
Ryker stepped up to the door so he could watch Xiaohui and Chin through the slit window. “You notice her reaction when I mentioned Lin’s name?”
“Yeah, she pissed her pants. What do you think she’d say if I asked her out on a date?”
“You’ve already got a hot date, remember? With that nice girl from Guangzhou.”
Chee Wei made a sour face. “You had to go and remind me, didn’t you? I got her e-mail address. My parents don’t know. I’m gonna give her the bad news tonight. Hey bitch, I don’t do arranged marriages, it’s over, deal with it.”
“You want some friendly advice?” Ryker winced inwardly. He’d almost said some
“Come on, what are the chances? I don’t need to see a picture, I know she’s a pig.”
Through the window in the door, Ryker watched as Victor Chin spoke rapidly while Xiaohui frowned and nodded her head a lot. Again she had a look of fear in her eyes. What the hell was he saying to her?
“That’s funny, I thought the Chinese ideogram for happiness was a pig inside a house?” Ryker said, even as wheels turned in his head and he figured it out. He rapped his knuckles on the door and opened it without waiting for a response. Xiaohui looked positively relieved to see him, which was a clue that he’d guessed correctly.
“My client can go now?” Chin said.
“That depends entirely on her,” Ryker said. He stepped into the room and moved away from the door so Chee Wei could see and hear. “Miss Zhu, you’re under no obligation to accept, but I’m offering you police protection. At least for the next twenty-hour hours. If you say yes, Detective Fong Chee Wei here will accompany you when you leave this building. He’ll stay with you and be your chaperone, until you say otherwise.”
Chin gaped, caught by surprise. Then he recovered his wits and snapped his mouth shut. Ryker saw doubt in his eyes and knew he’d guessed right. In the short time between the meeting upstairs and Chin’s arrival here, James Lin had made a phone call. Had he made Chin an offer he couldn’t refuse, appealing to his better nature, as had been suggested? Or had he threatened him, pure and simple? Ryker remembered the big Russian, and his tactics when he’d gone looking for Xiaohui in the Tenderloin. Cueball was big and mean but the Russian belonged in another class altogether.
“My client doesn’t need police protection,” Chin said. “Protection from what? Just what are you implying, detective sergeant?”
Ryker ignored him. “What about it, Miss Zhu? Mr. Chin seems happy to let you walk out the door and call a cab. There’s something you should be aware of. When we got to your sister’s there was a car parked across the street, a Mercedes, watching the house. Before that? The same car was at Roger and Vincent’s place.” Xiaohui’s eyes widened. “They’re okay. So is Suzy. She was very concerned for your safety. Frankly, so were we. The Mercedes peeled out before I got a chance to talk to the occupants. But I know who they are. They work for James Lin.”
“That’s enough,” Victor Chin said. “You’re trying to frighten my client. Your behavior is insufferable. I want the name of your superior.”
Xiaohui was frightened, all right. A pulse throbbed at the base of her throat. Ryker held the door open, an invitation for her to leave. She didn’t move. “Perhaps all Mr. Lin wants is to ask you about his son,” he said. “That’s understandable. But the fact is we’re no closer to finding out who killed Danny Lin. You were the only person seen entering the Taipan Suite with him. No one left after you did. The security tapes prove that. It’s looking as if a ghost cut off his dick and drove a knife clean through his heart, then vanished into the night. The question is, will James Lin accept that explanation?”
She bowed her head to hide her anguished expression. Her shoulders shook. Ryker wished he had another job; this one sucked. Victor Chin spoke a rapid stream of Chinese that was beyond Ryker’s ability to decipher. Xiaohui shook her head. Chin spoke again, louder this time, more insistent. Xiaohui shivered like a deer caught in a bright light. Chee Wei pushed past Ryker and took hold of Chin’s arm. He went nose to nose and said something that made Chin flinch. Xiaohui’s head came up and she looked from one man to the other, puzzled and relieved at the same time. Chin tore his arm free, snatched up his briefcase and walked out the door without even looking at
